Fabric connecting structure for playyard

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a fabric connecting structure for playyard, particularly to one where the fabric joints are caught to the inner side edges of the upstanding legs, wherein a catch portion provided to inner edges of upstanding legs of the folding frame, and a catch member provided to corresponding corners of the fabric are able to engage each other such that the fabric may either be removably retained to the upstanding legs before or after completion of the assembly so as to improve convenience during assembly and application convenience. Furthermore, the four side panels may be provided at top edges thereof and the bottom at the lower edges thereof with removable fasteners such that after completing assembly of the folding frame, the fasteners may encase over and fasten to the top folding rails and bottom folding assembly. Accordingly, this invention permits encasing of the fabric over the folding frame after completing assembly of the folding frame and prevents undesired contamination of the fabric during assembly.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a fabric connecting structure for a playyard, particularly to one where the fabric joints are caught on the inner side edges of the upstanding legs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

To allow easy carriage, the conventional baby playyards are usually equipped with a folding frame, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,437 having a folding frame that is encased by a fabric to form an enclosure for constraining babies therein (as shown in FIG. 1). In such prior art, the folding frame 10 includes a top corner members 11, top enclosing rails 12 collapsibly pivoted between top corner members 11, bottom corner members 13, bottom frames pivoted between bottom corner members 13, and upstanding legs 14 connected between the top corner members 11 and bottom corner members 13.

Prior to assembling the conventional baby playyards, the operator usually needs to encase a fabric 15 over the folding frame of the playyard before proceeding to the remaining assembling procedures. The most troublesome procedure is that, while connecting the upstanding legs 14 between the top corner members 11 and bottom corner members 13, the upstanding legs 14 must first insert through the fabric 15. Since the upstanding legs 14 tend to slide in the fabric 15, it is very troublesome and involves difficulty and inconvenience during assembly.

Furthermore, the fabric 15 of the conventional playyards encases over the folding frame 10, such that the fabric 15 cannot be removed unless the users destruct the joints (which are usually joined by rivets) so as to prevent the users from removing them, replacing and cleaning the fabric after a period of time. In addition, since the fabric 15 encases over the folding frame 10, the fabric must first be encased over the folding frame during the process of assembling the folding frame 10 prior to assembling the remaining components. However, such an assembling process involves difficulties and tends to contaminate the fabric 15 during the process of assembling, thereby resulting in inconvenience.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is thus a primary objective of this invention to resolve the aforementioned problems involved in assembling fabric to the conventional playyards, particularly to those resulting from sliding of the upstanding legs during assembly.

According to this invention, a catch portion provided to inner edges of upstanding legs of the folding frame, and a catch member provided to corresponding corners of the fabric are able to engage each other such that the fabric may either be removably retained to the upstanding legs before or after completion of the assembly so as to improve convenience during assembly and application convenience.

In addition, since the fabric of the conventional playyards encases over the folding frame so as to prevent the users from removing, replacing and cleaning the fabric after a period of time, and since such an assembling process involving difficulties tends to contaminate the fabric during the process of assembling, it is another objective of this invention to provide a playyard fabric structure permitting easy removal for cleaning and re-assembling. According to an embodiment of this invention, the fabric of the playyard includes plural side panels and a floor, wherein the side panels are temporarily connected to the folding frame at the corners, bottoms and upper edges, and the fabric may be encased after completion of the assembly thereby eliminating difficulties involved in encasing the fabric and preventing undesired contamination of the fabric during assembly.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF INVENTION

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, this invention mainly relates to a fabric connecting structure for playyards, which is capable of eliminating difficulties involved in encasing the fabric and preventing undesired contamination of the fabric during assembly. This invention further allows removal of the entire fabric for cleaning purpose. The fabric connecting structure for playyards includes a folding frame 2 and a fabric 6.

The folding frame 2 includes a top folding assembly 3, upstanding legs 5 and a bottom folding assembly 4. The top folding assembly 3 further includes a top corner members 31 and top folding rails 32. The bottom folding assembly 4 includes bottom corner members 41 and bottom frames 42. The top corner members 31 are disposed at the corners (of a conventional playpen or a triangular playpen) and pivoted to the folding rails 32. The top folding rails 32 each include a pair of braces 321 and a release means 322. The braces 321 may be expanded into a linear configuration or folded into a V-shaped configuration upon actuating the release means 322.

The bottom corner members 41 of the bottom folding assembly 4 are located exactly beneath the top corner members 31. The bottom corner members 41 are pivoted to the bottom frames 42, and upstanding legs 5 are connected between the top corner members 31 and bottom corner members 41, such that the top folding assembly 3 and bottom folding assembly 4 are able to collapse the folding frame 2 into a collapsed state and expanded into an erected state. In addition, the upstanding legs 5 of this invention are each provided with a catch portion 51 at the inner edges thereof.

The fabric 6 is encased over the folding frame 2 so as to form an enclosure 60. The fabric 6 is able to fold and expand along with the folding frame 2. The fabric 6 includes a bottom 61 and four side panels 62, wherein the four side panels 62 are each provided with a catch member 63 at joints correspondingly engaging the upstanding legs 5, such that the fabric 6 is able to be retained to the upstanding legs 5 by means of engagement between the catch members 63 and catch portions 51 to allow easy assembly.

In this embodiment, various engagement configurations may be adopted between the catch portions 51 of the upstanding legs 5 and the catch members 63 of the fabric 6, such as that disclosed in FIG. 4. The catch portions 51 of the upstanding legs 5 include semi-enclosed catch grooves 511 running along the inner edges of the upstanding legs 5, and the catch members 63 of the fabric 6 include rods 630 inserting through the catch grooves 511. The upstanding legs 5 are previously assembled to where the four side panels 62 of the fabric 6 join, and the rods 630 are later inserting through the catch grooves 511 to assume an engagement therebetween.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, the catch portions 51 of the upstanding legs 5 include plural openings 53 formed to the inner edges thereof, and the catch members of the fabric 6 include retaining tabs 7 correspondingly engage the openings 53 at where the four side panels 62 of the fabric 6 join. The retaining tabs 7 are directly engaged to the openings 53 or by means of screws 70 so as to allow removably engagement there between.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the catch portions 51 of the upstanding legs 5 include retaining grooves 512 running along the inner edges of the upstanding legs 5, and the retaining grooves 512 are each formed with an oblique notch 513 at a lower end, into which the fabric 6 is directly inserted to be retained by the retaining grooves 512.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, the catch portions 51 of the upstanding legs 5 similarly include plural openings 53 and the catch members 63 of the fabric 6 include plural hangers 631 that are able to temporarily hang and engage in the openings 53.

By means of the above features, the upstanding legs 5 are to connected to the top corner members 31 and bottom corner members 41, corners at where the four side panels 62 of the fabric 6 join are first engaged, caught (or directly inserted through) into the catch members 63 and the catch portions 51 of the upstanding legs 5. The corners of the fabric 6 may alternatively be retained to the inner edges of the upstanding legs 5 after the assembling the upstanding legs 5 to the top and bottom corner members 31, 41 so as to allow easy assembly.

With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, in this embodiment, the four side panels 62 may be provided at top edges 621 thereof and the bottom 61 at the lower edges thereof with removable fasteners 9 (such as mechanical fasteners commonly known under the trademark Velcro®, zippers, snap buttons or buttons) such that after completing assembly of the folding frame 2 by means of the cooperation between the fabric 6 and upstanding legs 5, the fasteners 9 may encase over and fasten to the top folding rails 3 and bottom folding assembly 4. Accordingly, this invention permits encasing of the fabric 6 over the folding frame 2 after completing assembly of the folding frame 2 and prevent them from undesired contamination of the fabric 6 during assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional structure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the folding frame of this invention in an erected state;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing this invention after assembly;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating a first embodiment of the catch member of the fabric and the catch portion of the upstanding legs of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating a second embodiment of the catch member of the fabric and the catch portion of the upstanding legs of this invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating a third embodiment of the catch member of the fabric and the catch portion of the upstanding legs of this invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view illustrating a fourth embodiment of the catch member of the fabric and the catch portion of the upstanding legs of this invention;

FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating the removable fabric of this invention; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating assembly of the removable fabric. 

1. A fabric connecting structure for playyard, comprising: a folding frame, including a top folding assembly, a bottom folding assembly and upstanding legs connected between the top folding assembly and bottom folding assembly, wherein the upstanding legs are each provided with a catch portion at inner edges thereof; and a fabric, encasing over the folding frame and being able to expand and fold along with the folding frame, including plural side panels and a bottom to form an enclosure, wherein the plural side panels are provided with a catch member at each corner joint thereof; whereby the catch members are removably retained to the catch portions provided to the inner edges of the upstanding legs.
 2. The fabric connecting structure for playyard of claim 1, wherein the catch portions each include semi-enclosed catch grooves parallel the inner edges of the upstanding legs.
 3. The fabric connecting structure for playyard of claim 1, wherein the catch members of the fabric each include rods inserting through the fabric.
 4. The fabric connecting structure for playyard of claim 1, wherein the catch portions of the upstanding legs include plural openings
 5. The fabric connecting structure for playyard of claim 1, wherein the catch members of the fabric each include a retaining tab.
 6. The fabric connecting structure for playyard of claim 1, wherein the catch members of the fabric each include a hanger.
 7. The fabric connecting structure for playyard of claim 1, wherein the catch portions each include retaining groove running along the inner edges of the upstanding legs.
 8. The fabric connecting structure for playyard of claim 1, wherein the catch members of the fabric are joints of the side panels of the fabric directly inserting through the catch portions of the upstanding legs.
 9. A fabric connecting structure for playyard, comprising: a fabric, including plural side panels forming a surrounding surface of the playyard and catch members provided to where the side panels of the fabric join; and a folding frame set, including catch portions for repeated engagement and disengagement with the catch members, so as to define an enclosure of the playyard after expanding all side panels of the fabric.
 10. The fabric connecting structure for playyard of claim 8, wherein the folding frame includes a top folding assembly, upstanding legs and a bottom folding assembly connected to each other and is capable of assuming an erected and a collapsed state.
 11. The fabric connecting structure for playyard of claim 8, wherein the catch portions are formed to inner edges of the upstanding legs.
 12. The fabric connecting structure for playyard of claim 8, wherein the side panels of the fabric and the bottom are provided with fasteners capable of removable engagement with the top folding assembly.
 13. The fabric connecting structure for playyard of claim 11, wherein the fasteners each include a mechanical fastener. 